


Hello Eric!

by FreakHour



Series: Sweet as Hale [21]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family AU, Gen, Hale Family Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-17 03:37:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4650807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakHour/pseuds/FreakHour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sweet as Hale was begun on tumblr (http://halefamilyfic.tumblr.com) because eeames wanted some Hale Family stuff. I thought. Why not? This all happened. I admit my take on everything is definitely not s3 compliant and... It just never will be. These are pre-fire Hales. I treat it very much like if the Cosbys were Werewolves. They are a fun family how I write them. The Dad is Alec, please imagine him played by Joe Flanigan. (you should totally go to the tumblr an enjoy the imageset header eeames made it is A+++) Everyone else you know except their baby Eric. In the Hale Family only Alec and Eric are human. I hope you enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hello Eric!

It was with sheer determination that Alec and Talia conceived their fourth child. The two eldest were bent on three being plenty thanks, just like two had been plenty. Alec was unhappy, his beautiful werewolf army was just a beautiful werewolf strike force. He was going to fight for at least two more - a half dozen would be better than not. Yeah, six, he was going to have six. Especially when Peter, who had finally deigned to fall in love and get married after moving back home to Beacon Hills, had had TWINS!! Alec wanted to pull his face off!! Two adorable babies at once!! Ugh it was so unfair. He’d complained about it to Talia who had laughed at him and admitted she was only having one baby at a time so he’d have to sleep with her a lot more. Amazingly, that mollified him. So when baby number four arrived, everyone was ecstatic. Peter kept the kids and babies entertained outside while Alec, Talia, Peter’s wife Suzanne, and the midwife worked on bringing the baby into the world.

Eric August Hale was born in the summer and had his mother’s everything - except he wasn’t a werewolf. Alec hadn’t even bothered to ask, certain that like the other three and Peter’s twins his son would just be a werewolf and be a party to all the beautiful madness therein.

“Alec,” Talia murmured to him after the midwife had gone to wash up. “He’s human.“

Dread and worry fell into the bottom of Alec’s guts like a millstone. Talia watched him, waiting for her husband to process it through and come to terms. She knew he would, in fact she was shaking a bit with laughter at his reaction and wished with all her heart her dad was still alive to see this. Everyone had thought having werewolf babies would be the thing to freak him out but no. Oh my god my son’s human had him reeling. She couldn’t totally smother her giggle and Alec snapped out of it long enough to roll his eyes.

"Well at least the kids’ll get a lot of practice at being careful with their strength.” Alec said sardonically, taking his son and cuddling him possessively like he still did the others. “Welcome to the big world Eric! You are gonna have a blast.“

Eric, if he had language and words would in fact tell everyone after a week being alive that no, he was not in fact having a blast. Whatever an anti-blast would be that was what he was having. Laura had dropped him, twice. She didn’t mean to but he’s screamed so loud her arms just spontaneously let go. The big offender was Cora. Cora was 6 and she tried very hard to be careful but sometimes she just forgot Eric was human. By the time her Dad made a sad face at her and said they could make friends when they were older she’d decided she didn’t want a baby brother and pretended he didn’t exist at all. Except she couldn’t. Because Eric was taking all of her stuff.Mom and Dad had to spend so much time with him, and then, worst of all!! He took her Derek. Sure she spent most of her time telling Derek to go away and leave her alone but that was before ERIC. Now since Derek was the ONLY ONE allowed to hold the baby or help with the baby she had NONE of his attention and DEREK WAS HERS FIRST.

Derek worried about Eric a lot. He haunted his crib like a lost ghost, often finding Cora standing next to it, glaring at their little brother in a way that made him shoo her outside to play. It was a disconcerting feeling but his big brother senses were like a constant buzz under his skin. Derek loved that he was trusted with his little brother, he’s only twelve but he’s a strong twelve. He worried about him constantly because like Dad, Eric was so human but he was extra fragile. He couldn’t do anything for himself at all yet. And really… Derek loved feeling needed. He got to be the best brother because Eric didn’t shove him away or push him down. Ok, maybe he couldn’t yet, but right now it was nice to have Eric to cuddle or feed. Derek didn’t even mind changing diapers which delighted his Dad to no end. And like Cora, Eric came to all his baseball games because Dad did, and where Dad went, so went the baby in a sling. The real ego boost was now Cora came too. Derek wasn’t so sure it was because of him or because she didn’t want just Eric there - he’d take what he can get.

Things were going well for the first few months, it was a lot of long nights for everyone before Eric could finally sleep through the night. So no one really expected what was going to happen but in hindsight, Derek felt he should have. Alec was working in his office on a few bids for the movie theater downtown and the small chapel on 59th that had been there since the time of loggers and mountain men. Eric was in his crib in the office so Alec could easily be there when he needed anything. It wasn’t until Alec started thinking he needed to eat something that he realized Eric had been perfectly quiet for three hours. Talia was due home soon and usually Eric was crying to be fed well before now. Alec wandered over the to the crib and almost blacked out because it was empty. Panic fought with rational thought for dominance for a moment before he got a grip, “KIDS!” Alec yelled worriedly.

Derek rushed to his Dad’s side, the brittle sound of terror in his Dad’s voice set his nerves alight, Laura appeared at his elbow and Cora seemed to just roll in around the door frame.

“Kids…” Alec said, trying to remain calm. “Have any of you seen your brother? He’s not in the crib.” He took a deep breath, he had to hope one of them just carried their brother off to play. What other explanation was there? There wasn’t one. No one could sneak into a house of werewolves. No one could! Right?? Oh god…

Laura and Derek both looked baffled and Cora hunkered her shoulders and said a serious “Nooooooo.”

Derek and Laura both turned to stare at Cora who looked up at the ceiling in her most innocent way, her hands knotted behind her back and her feet shuffling.

“Cora.” Laura intoned, using her Big Sister I’m The Oldest voice. “You’relying.”

“Am not.” Cora snapped back.

“Are so.” Laura hissed, bristling but not shifting.

Alec knelt down in front of Cora and held her arms gently, “Baby we’re not mad, I just need to get Eric back in his bed, I’m sure he’s hungry.”

Cora hunched up and frowned, “I don’t KNOW where he is.”

“LIE.” Laura shouted, at fifteen she was normally on Cora’s side about things but this was making her mad. Sure she had wanted to be an only child but she’d never hidden Derek anywhere!!! Which would have been the best idea…. “Where’s Eric!”

“HE’S NOT MY BROTHER!” Cora shouted at them and burst into tears, Alec hugged her tight but she shoved at him furiously.

Derek gripped her wrists before she could accidentally claw Alec, looking as terrified as their Dad. “Cora please! Eric’s just a baby!”

“HE’S NOT LIKE US HE’S NOT MY BROTHER!!” Cora shrilled and then froze, looking up at her Dad with pained, terrified eyes. “I’m sorry Daddy! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!! I didn’t mean it!!”

Alec hugged her extra tight, “I know Cora, I know. Please just where is your brother ok? He’s just not as durable as you but he’s family.”

Derek gripped Cora’s arm hard, “Please Cora.”

Laura stroked her sister’s hair and looked her in the face, “Please.”

Cora hiccuped and pointed behind her, “I put him outside in the tree.”

Derek’s heart seized, the tree was Cora’s favorite place to play, it had come down in a big storm at the start of the summer and had all kinds of things living in and on it. He tore out of the house and into the woods, Laura hot on his heels, panic making him faster than usual. Alec stayed and soothed Cora, trying to get across to her he wasn’t mad at her, disappointed yes but not mad. She had a right to feel angry or sad but not to bury her brother in the woods.

Eric wasn’t crying when they found him, shoved under part of the tree trunk where it had remained propped up on a rock, Derek didn’t want to finish the mental movie that played of the tree slipping off the rock and smushing his brother. Eric didn’t even cry when Derek shook so badly when he picked him up he almost dropped him. “Laur, he feels hot.” Derek whispered, kissing Eric’s head and keeping himself calm so he wouldn’t hug him too tight. Like an egg, like an egg, like an egg. He mentally chanted and hurried back to the house behind Laura.

“Dad! I think he’s got a fever!!!” Derek cried as he handed the baby off to Alec. Laura hauled Cora in and hugged her while Derek dogged his Dad’s heels inside where he started filling the kitchen sink to bathe the dirt off Eric and check him over.

“Is he going to be ok?” Derek whispered. Alec spared him an arm to hug his son to him, in that moment really started to discover he was much taller than he used to be.

“He’ll be ok. We’ll make sure of it!” Alec winked reassuringly, “Grab your sisters and come in here. Eric needs his family around him right now ok? Ineed my family around me.”

Derek nodded and got out of the room before he yelled for Cora and Laura. Eric had started to cry because Alec took a large worm from him that he didn’t remember seeing in the baby’s hand when Derek gave him over. He wasn’t going to think about if Eric had put that in his mouth. It’s fine, it’s just building his immune system. Yeah.

Derek put Cora up on the counter next to the sink so she could watch Alec bathe the baby. She felt awful now, all around from everyone was such anxiety it pushed her to tears.

Alec calmed his breathing and heart down again, looking at her and sighing. “You’re going to be punished for this Cora.” Cora hung her head and nodded, “Sorry Daddy…”

Alec nodded and sighed, “I know baby. And you should be. No matter what we’re all family. Werewolves and humans. We’re family. If you were feeling sad or lonely because Eric needs a lot of attention right now you should have said something to someone. It’s hard to have to share when you’ve been the baby. Right Laura?”

Laura barks a laugh, “Yeah no kidding! I didn’t ask for any of you.”

Alec grins, “Laura looked at Derek and told us no, to put him back in.”

Derek turned red and sighed. Laura hugging him obnoxiously, “Awwwww Der, I love you now.”

Derek laughs, “Pffff sure now. SURE.”

“Of course. You take blame so nicely.” Laura laughs, cuddling him because she can tell he is still anxious over Eric.

Alec smiled at them, taking Eric out of the water and getting him dried off and diapered. “Well your punishment Cora is that you have to tell your mother what you did. And for the next three months you will come straight home and help me take care of Eric since there’s not a mark on him.” Alec smile at Cora, “Despite trying to bury him in the woods… You were very careful with him. I’m proud of that. But Don’t ever take him outside like that again Cora, when someone dies they’re gone forever ok? And Eric could die really really easily right now.”

Cora sobbed a little and apologized to everyone, even Eric. When Talia got home to a baby with a mild fever and a little girl who had unwittingly tried to permanently get rid of her brother she was a little shook up. That night she lay in bed next to Alec and she hugged him so tight he groaned. “How is it you handled that so well?”

Alec sighed, “I didn’t. I freaked out. I just did it on the inside. A lot. What if Cora never understands her little brother is her brother??”

Talia put her fingers over Alec’s mouth, “Shhhh… Shhh shhh…  You did exactly right. When she helps you she’ll figure it out. She’s just really bad at sharing.”

Alec sighs, “I guess so.” He worries though, until Talia does her best to distract him, then he distracts her, then they both fell asleep.

The next morning Talia woke Alec up, “Shhh. I want you to see something.”

She brought him the four steps across their room to Eric’s crib. Alec peeked inside to find Cora curled up with Eric who was still a little rosy with his fever but otherwise fine. “I think she’s trying to make up for it.” Talia whispered in his ear and bit gently.

  
Alec grinned at her, “Don’t start what you can’t finish, gorgeous.” Talia kissed him soundly and rested her head on his shoulder, watching their two youngest sleep. For now, everything was working out just fine.


End file.
